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Audit finds gaps in ADA Title II implementation; equity office names coordinator and timeline
Summary
An Audit Services review identified unclear ownership of ADA Title II responsibilities and gaps between the city’s transition plan and current practices. The Department of Equity and Inclusion agreed and named an administrative coordinator and provided a multi‑department timeline for remedial work.
An Audit Services review of Durham’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II found gaps in role clarity and in completing work described in the city’s transition plan and self‑evaluation.
Audit Services identified three primary findings: unclear management direction and responsibilities for the ADA coordinator role; lack of determination which department should permanently assume ADA Title II responsibilities; and a mismatch between current departmental practices and the actions listed in the city’s transition plan. The audit recommended clarifying ownership, naming an outward‑facing ADA coordinator, and aligning daily practices with the transition plan.
Sharon Williams, director of the Department of Equity and Inclusion, told the council her office has assigned an administrative coordinator — three weeks on the job as of the meeting — to handle ADA intake and project management. “We are the source that will take a resident’s complaint or an issue,” Williams said, explaining the office’s role in routing cases to the department responsible for the specific operational fix and following up to ensure action.
The department supplied a timeline of corrective steps. Some items deemed “easy lifts” — such as publishing coordinator contact information and updating web portals to improve accessibility — are scheduled for near‑term completion. More complex changes (for example, enterprise‑level updates tied to right‑of‑way and capital projects) are scheduled into 2025 and into January 2026 in the audit response timeline.
Council members asked staff to maintain oversight and to report progress to the Audit Services Committee; Audit Services said it will track recommendations and closure dates. Several members praised the audit as a useful management tool while urging timely implementation because residents with vision and mobility impairments told council they still face practical barriers in accessing city services and information.
The audit report and staff responses will be available in the city’s audit materials; staff said they will coordinate across General Services, Neighborhood Improvement Services, and Equity and Inclusion to meet the timeline and bring more outward‑facing information to residents about ADA contact points.
